Did You Know about the Johana Hikiyama Festival? Experience It in Kagurazaka!
Did You Know about the Johana Hikiyama Festival? Experience It in Kagurazaka! The Johana Hikiyama Festival and the History of Johana Town I participated in the Johana Hikiyama Festival and will share about the festival, the history of Johana, and its connection to Kagurazaka. The Johana Hikiyama Festival is a historic festival held every May 5th in Nanto City, Toyama Prefecture. It is registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. As a traditional cultural event whose style has remained largely unchanged since the Edo period, it captivates local residents and many tourists. One of the festival’s highlights is the evening transformation into a lantern parade, offering a different atmosphere from the daytime. The mikoshi (portable shrine) procession to the festival floats dates back to 1724, making this year 2024 a significant 300-year milestone. The history of Johana Town itself is ancient, with significant settlements known to exist since the Jomon period, serving as a vital living area since ancient times. The town saw significant development as a temple town with the relocation of Zentokuji Temple in 1573. Zentokuji Temple is currently a branch temple of Higashi Honganji in Johana. The area around Zentokuji was particularly famous for silk